Max graduated from Berklee School of Music, which equipped him with a lot of the how of drumming and music, but the why was firmly in place long before that. He is a product of The Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, where creatives of all types have long found a temporary escape or permanent oasis. One such creative is his father, a guitarist and bandleader who got Max playing and listening to a wide variety of music practically from birth. The soundtrack to Max’s childhood was designed to make people dance, make them think, or both, with heavy doses of The Three Kings (Albert, Freddie, and B.B.), Public Enemy, James Brown, and Fela Kuti. While at Berklee, Max studied jazz, fusion, and Afro-Cuban styles, but none of these musical languages felt like his native tongue. He reconnected with Hip-Hop and realized it was the dance/social movement of his country and his generation. He dove in and with provident timing, the opportunity to join the acclaimed Hip-Hop group Crown City Rockers brought Max to Oakland, CA. He played with Crown City for eleven years, touring internationally (sharing billings with Talib Kwali, Common, Mos Def, Jurassic 5, and many more of his Hip Hop idols), and recording two albums. Max also made the most of his time on the vibrant and seminal Oakland Hip Hop scene, forming Skins and Needles with DJ Zeph. This duo became the backing band for MC and producer Lyrics Born, with whom Max continues to tour and record. Max relocated to Los Angeles in 2011 and joined Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe in 2013. This re-immersed him in the funk, soul, and jazz styles he had previously explored, and he melded them with the deep Hip Hop tradition in which he had become so well-versed. He spent two years touring with KDTU, highlighted by performances on the Jam Cruise, at the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival, and Jungle Jam in Costa Rica. Max has continued to tour with Lyrics Born, and his extensive experience and creative distinction have served as calling cards for L.A.-based freelance work. This has included projects with That Poppy, Latyrx, P-Funk bassist RonKat Spearman, and Shots Fired with guitarist DJ Williams. He has recorded with several Hip-Hop Producers including G Koop, Jake One, and Amp Live, and his drumming can be heard on the Rick Ross single 3 Kings-Feat. Dr. Dre and Jay-Z, Lyrics Born’s Everywhere at Once, Jake One’s White Van Music, and much more. After years of collaborating as a sideman, Max has taken the helm of his own production studio, Bunkhouse Recordings, assuming greater command of his musical path and helping others forge theirs. As both a physical space and a network of musicians, producers, and creatives, Bunkhouse is doing everything from workshopping songs to recording full-length albums to developing social media strategy. Bunkhouse’s first two projects are Max’s first solo EP, The Life, and a single and EP by singer Sydney Raneé.